Knights of Fiona has been live for five days. The free-to-start VR JRPG from CharacterBank shipped on Meta Quest 3, Quest 3S, and SteamVR on September 3. The first wave of critic reviews is in, and they land where the Steam sample already sat: not a flop, not a hit, a game split between two audiences.
UploadVR’s Mike Johnson, writing on launch day, called the free-to-start model and the paid fantasy campaign a tug-of-war. Weapon customization, glyph loadouts, and party building get real praise. Arena combat that ends in a few minutes, constant loading screens, and a stack of subtitle and bow bugs pull the other way. His close: try it if you like fantasy action; do not expect either the free tier or the Story Pass crowd to walk away fully satisfied.
Virtual Grip, reviewing on PC VR and Quest 3 a few days later, reaches a similar place from a softer angle. Co-op against a big enemy and the anime-inflected cast still work. Solo runs expose thin waves and a grind that feels longer when every swing is physical. Performance is called a quiet strength. The headline verdict is that a good game is visible inside the structure, but the adventure rarely gives enough reason to keep walking.
Steam’s sample grew. The score did not.
On the Steam page today, all-time reviews sit at Mixed: about 50% positive across 66 reviews. That is a larger sample than the thin Mixed reading we noted at launch, and it has not moved the needle. The Story Pass remains $18.99 (some regions show a launch discount). Chapters 1–5 are live; chapter 6 is still promised later in 2026.
The commercial bet has not changed since CharacterBank’s Games Press note: download free, feel the hub and the combat, then decide whether Fiona’s full campaign is worth the pass. English localization is by Nob Ogasawara. Cross-play for parties of up to three is still the clearest differentiator against other VR fantasy experiments.
What the reviews agree on
Both critics like the systems layer more than the minute-to-minute fights. Both flag repetition. Both treat the free install as the honest way in. Neither treats September 3 as a genre breakthrough. For a Kyoto studio that already proved sincerity with RUINSMAGUS, that is a colder launch temperature than the trailer promised, and a useful one: the free tier is still the right first move, and the Story Pass is still a real purchase, not a tip jar.
Storefronts: Meta Horizon Store, Steam, official site knights-of-fiona.com.
Sources: UploadVR review (Sep 3, 2026); Virtual Grip review (Sep 6, 2026); Steam store page; Games Press.